John McDonnell: ‘The people’s vote will be on the deal itself and whether we can negotiate a better one.’
Photograph: Hannah Mckay/Reuters

A fresh Brexit referendum should be only about a departure deal and should not include the option of staying in the EU, John McDonnell has indicated to the dismay of Labour members pushing for a people’s vote.

McDonnell implies staying in EU will not be option if Labour holds second Breixt referendum - Politics live

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The shadow chancellor said he would back the idea of a new referendum if a general election did not happen. But he argued that while it was up to parliament to decide the question, he believed it should be just “a vote on the deal itself”.

“If we are going to respect the last referendum, it will be about the deal, it will a negotiation on the deal,” McDonnell said.

He added: “Parliament will determine the nature of the question that will be put, but the first stage of that is to see if we can get a deal that is acceptable and brings the country together again. And I’ve always thought we could.”

Michael Chessum, one of the grassroots organisers who coordinated the push for a Brexit vote at conference, said it was “preposterous” that a future referendum would not include an option to remain.

“The Brexit motion set to be debated by conference, which is backed and negotiated by the leadership, clearly keeps remain on the table. That was a key element of what was agreed in negotiating the motion,” said Chessum, a Momentum member of the campaign group Another Europe is Possible.

“This idea that any future referendum would not include a remain option is preposterous; if we’re committing to a public vote, it would be an insult to the public not to trust them with all options. All options are on the table and that includes staying in that EU.”

The party’s conference in Liverpool is expected to pass a statement thrashed out by delegates late on Sunday that commits Labour to keeping the option of a second referendum on the table.

After a gruelling five-hour meeting with the shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, more than 100 delegates from trade unions and local parties drafted a two-page motion, which members are expected to pass on Tuesday.

The key sentence of the final draft says: “If we cannot get a general election Labour must support all options remaining on the table, including campaigning for a public vote.”

The statement has prompted concern from some allies of Jeremy Corbyn, with Len McCluskey, the general secretary of Unite, saying he did not think “remain” should be an option on the ballot paper.

Asked about the issue on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, McDonnell said: “If we don’t get a general election then yes, we’ll go for a people’s vote.”

Asked about what options should be part of a second referendum question, he said: “My view at the moment is that parliament will decide what will be on that ballot paper. We’ll be arguing that it should be a vote on the deal itself, and then enable us to go back and do the negotiations.”

Pressed on whether this definitely meant ruling out a “remain” option, McDonnell declined to fully clarify, but indicated again this was the case. “We’re respecting the referendum. We want a general election, If we can’t get that we’ll have a people’s vote. The people’s vote will be on the deal itself and whether we can negotiate a better one,” he said.

McDonnell’s caution will disappoint Labour members pushing for a second referendum. A people’s vote was overwhelmingly the most popular issue raised by constituency Labour parties (CLPs) that submitted contemporary motions (pdf) to conference.

The final draft of the statement agreed with Starmer said: “If the government is confident in negotiating a deal that working people, our economy and communities will benefit from, they should not be afraid to put that deal to the public.”

Campaigners were pleased with other elements of the two-page statement, including a promise to pursue “full participation in the single market”.

One Labour source opposed to the UK leaving the EU said: “This is clear movement from the party. We are now talking with clarity of voting down the deal if doesn’t meet our tests, calling for a general election and if that is not possible – we want a public vote on the deal.

“Last year we didn’t even get a debate. What a difference a year makes.”

An initial motion that proposed a public vote on the terms of Brexit was rejected by delegates as being too prescriptive, as it appeared to exclude the option to remain within the EU.

Several of Corbyn’s senior supporters underlined their concerns about what they said were the risks of a people’s vote.

The shadow business secretary, Rebecca Long-Bailey, whose Salford constituency voted leave, told the Guardian she was concerned the Tories would be able to dictate the question.

“My worry about a second referendum is that they will be holding the pen,” she said. “What will the referendum be on?”

She added that some Labour-supporting leave voters may feel the party did not trust them. “I do worry about it, because I think a lot of people will feel sold-out,” she said. “Some people will think: ‘How many times do you ask before you get the answer you want?’”